Smoking Cessation: The 7 Sneaky Ways Smoking Steals a Woman's Beauty

The physical effects of this bad habit aren't limited to your internal organs -- see how smoking also destroys women's hair, skin and nails (and why you should quit)

Smoking thins your hair Thought we'd kick it off with a doozy. Un-moved by the threat of lung cancer? How about the threat of baldness? Experts agree that the chemicals in smoke are so toxic that they wither/damage hair follicles. And Dr. Wilma F. Bergfeld, head of clinical research in the department of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic, says that smoking also constricts blood vessels and hampers circulation, which prematurely ages those same follicles. The result? Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to have thinning strands. Add in the fact that smoking also increases the levels of DHT (a hormone that is a major contributor to hair loss) and you may be shopping for Rogaine before you know it.

(Psst. As if to add insult to injury, because smoking can also contribute to premature aging, you may go gray sooner too.)

I don't know why anyone would start smoking these days, when all of the harmful effects to your appearance and health are known. My mom quit cold-turkey at age 78 after emergency quadruple-bypass surgery. If she can quit, anyone can . . .

I have to admit that it is hard to quit. I have been smoking for a while now and I really hate it. I think if anything, it does worse for my anxiety and it makes me feel self-conscious because of the smell. I plan to quit very soon, I just need a lucrative method.

I wish my vanity could override my brain...I hate smoking...I stink, I have yellow fingers, and my breath is disgusting, not to include the running to my grave part...Smoking is such a taboo (rightfully so) but you can't just snap your fingers and that's it....no more smoker...Tried quitting with the patch and could not sleep, which made me very sick...I tried Chantix and had a really bad reaction...I just got an e-cigarette and my breathing is worse after that...Like I said, any helpful advice would be wonderful!